Here’s what you need to know about Ohio’s delayed primary election

Monday

Ohio’s 2020 primary that was, then wasn’t, then was again, is finally nearing its conclusion.

After a handful of lawsuits, health orders, directives and new laws, Ohioans who haven’t already cast ballots have their last chance to exercise their right to vote in the primary on Tuesday.

But in an unprecedented election conducted under orders that have shuttered businesses and forced most of us to seclude ourselves to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, quirks remain that you must prepare for if your ballot hasn’t reached the board of elections.

Here’s what you need to know:

Wasn’t the primary election on March 17?

Ohio’s original primary was scheduled for March 17, but Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration closed the polls hours before they were scheduled to open to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among voters and pollworkers. After several legal challenges, state lawmakers landed on extending the election until Tuesday and requiring most voters to cast absentee ballots by mail.

The Ohio General Assembly unanimously approved the law, which includes a provision for the disabled and the homeless to vote in person at their county board of elections on Tuesday.

Is it too late to vote absentee?

The deadline to request an absentee ballot was noon Saturday. If you received your ballot, it can be returned in the postage-paid envelope that was included, but it must be postmarked by Monday and arrive at the board of elections by 10 days after the election — that is, May 8. You also can drop off the ballot at a dropbox outside the board of elections before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

As of Friday, about 1.7 million absentee ballots had been requested in Ohio, but only about 1 million of those had been returned to county boards of elections.

Do I have any options to vote in person?

Again, the disabled and those who cannot receive mail — mostly the homeless — can vote at their board of elections on Tuesday. Voters must attest that they are in one of those two categories, but Secretary of State Frank LaRose told local boards of elections that they are prohibited from questioning any voter who says they are disabled or unable to receive mail.

LaRose also told local boards of elections that they must allow voters who requested absentee ballots to cast a provisional ballot in person.

Why would I vote a provisional ballot if I requested an absentee ballot?

LaRose said last week that slow mail delivery was jeopardizing the ballots of Ohioans who had requested absentee ballots. So it’s possible that voters requested an absentee ballot but won’t receive it by the deadline.

If I’m going to vote in person, what time can I do that? Will my polling place be open?

The only place to vote in person for the 2020 primary is at your county board of elections. Precinct polling locations will not be open. Boards of elections are to be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters in line at 7:30 p.m. will be allowed to cast ballots.

What precautions are boards of elections taking for in-person voting to prevent the spread of the coronavirus?

Boards of elections are supposed to keep voters separated as they wait in line, and to spread out machines and have sanitation supplies on hand. Some boards were considering taking the temperature of voters and moving those with higher temperatures into other lines and setting up outdoor voting locations.

DeWine said anyone voting in person should consider wearing a mask.

I voted early before the original primary Election Day. Do I need to vote again? Will my vote count?

No, you don’t need to vote again. Yes, your votes will count. Any ballot cast from the start of early voting in mid-February through Tuesday is to be counted. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by Monday and arrive at the board of elections by May 8.

With President Donald Trump running unopposed for the Republican nomination and no challenger left to former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic primary for president, why vote?

Across Ohio, 482 local issues are on ballots, according to Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, a former secretary of state. Several contested primary elections for congressional seats in Ohio are on ballots as well, including in central Ohio’s 3rd District. In Ohio, primary elections in effect decide who goes to the U.S. House because of the 16 districts’ gerrymandered borders.

When will we know what passed and who won?

For counting purposes, Tuesday will be treated like Election Day. Polls close at 7:30 p.m., and the counting can start thereafter. Local boards of elections may process and scan ballots that arrive before then, but the law prohibits counting them in advance.

County boards must count every ballot they have received by Tuesday and report the numbers to the secretary of state’s office before releasing those preliminary results to the public. That is different from the rolling results typically seen on Election Day.

Full official results won’t be finalized until after May 8, though, because boards of elections must still count valid ballots received by that date.

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